International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL)

International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, widely known under its Russian abbreviation, MAPRYAL, is a non-governmental professional organization that brings together over 200 members from 70 countries. It has been established in Paris in 1967 at Sorbonne University upon an initiative of group of European scholars from Germany, France and Austria.
At present MAPRYAL headquarters are located at Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Forms of membership

MAPRYAL has two forms of membership: member society and individual member. Among member societies are leading universities with competence in the field of Russian language study (such as Moscow State University, Saint Petersburg State University in Russia, Humboldt University in Germany, Sapporo University in Japan etc.), national associations of Russian language teachers (for example, Korean Society of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, Central Association of Russian Teachers of Sweden, Americal Councils for International Education), leading publishing houses and software producers developing online tutorials (like Grammatica company in Denmark).

Annually MAPRYAL organizes forums, seminars, other academic events as well as sociolinguistic research in the field of Russian philology. Some events are occurring once; others became a tradition, such as conference “Language and innovations” in Kazakhstan, International Reader Contest “ARS Poetica” in Slovakia, Belgrad meetings of Slavonic Russian scholars in Serbia.

Once in 4 years international congresses of MAPRYAL are held. These events unite around 1000 scholars from all over the world, who discuss the agenda of Russian language study and research, share professional experience, agree to elaborate joint projects. The capital of each coming congress is selected on the basis of election, which is followed by thorough defense of each location – to some extent this procedure resembles Olympic Games committee. Moscow, Varna, Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Shanghai – each Congress has its peculiar atmosphere and style.

Last congress has been held in Granada, Spain, in September, 13-20, 2015, under the title «Russian language and literature in the expanse of world culture». The Congress became a meeting point for 1200 participants from 60 countries. The event was held on a high official level: the Honorary Steering Committee is headed by His Majesty the King of Spain Don Felipe VI and Her Majesty the Queen of Spain Doña Letizia. Government officials from Russia and Spain took part in the opening ceremony.

The congress agenda covered 14 research areas, including Russian culture and globalization, methods of Russian language teaching, interpretation as a tool for intercultural dialogue, Russian in World Wide Web. Eight roundtable discussions were devoted to topical issues of Russian language functioning in contemporary world, such as Russian language in Bologna process, distance teaching, Russian in the system of bilingual education, theory and practice of language textbook elaboration. The key event of the congress cultural program was an opening ceremony of monument to great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, which took place in the public garden of University of Granada.

World Festival of Russian language

The Festival aims to unite and support those who study Russian language, feel interest in Russian literature and culture. In 2013-2014 over 2400 people from 88 countries took part in the screening tests of the Festival, among them school and university students, teachers of Russian language, admirers of Russian art.

Within the Festival framework participants passed tests in Russian language, competed in creative writing, singing Russian songs, participated in quizzes on Russian history and culture. The final stage that took place in Saint Petersburg in November, 2014, became the superlative of the festival, consolidating 300 winners at the stage of world known Mariinsky ballet and opera theatre.

MAPRYAL research and practice seminars

Annual travelling seminars in different countries of the world are organized upon the request of MAPRYAL members with a primary aim to determine demands of Russian language teachers and render them all necessary support: advisory services, methodological assistance, exchange of essential information on brand-new textbooks, learning guides, dictionaries published in Russia. Program of each seminar includes a visit of an expert team represented by philologists and pedagogues from leading Russian universities, as well as exhibition of newest educational materials, which are always donated to the host party. Since 2011 such seminars have been held in Belgium, Germany, Spain, China, Finland, Mongolia, Japan, Vietnam, Cuba and other countries.

International publishing projects

In cooperation with national educational authorities MAPRYAL forms joint writing teams, elaborates and adapts national-oriented textbooks in Russian language and literature. For example, in 2013-2014 at the commission of Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan MAPRYAL prepared series of textbooks in Russian literature for Russian-teaching schools, embracing a study course from grade 6 to grade 9. Impressive circulation of textbooks – over 40 000 volumes – has been distributed in 138 schools both in the capital and in the remote districts of this Central Asian country.

Managing authorities of MAPRYAL

The executive board of MAPRYAL is General Assembly, which is held no less frequently than once in 4 years. Within the period between the assemblies all activities of MAPRYAL are governed by Presidium, which is elected for a term of 4 years. Presidium is headed by a President.

Since 2003 the active president of MAPRYAL is Liudmila Verbitskaya – prominent Russian scholar, professor, doctor of Philology, president of Saint Petersburg State University, president of Russian Academy of Education, president of Russian society of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature.

To celebrate a milestone 50-year anniversary and get back to a historic starting point, MAPRYAL intends to hold festive events in Paris inSeptember, 15, 2017. Association intends to gather some 80 world scholars in Russian language and literature from different countries.